The Dance
by JCfan21
Summary: Janeway has to deal with the death of a loved one


The Dance  
  
Disclaimer: I do not intend to make any money from this piece of work. I realize that Paramount and other cool people actually own Voyager and all characters therein. I would also like to state for those poor souls who don't know, "The Dance" is a song written by Tony Arata and sung by Garth Brooks.  
  
Author's note: This is my first ever fanfic of any kind. I was bored during my Macroeconomics class. Please don't flame me. I realize that's it sappy. I didn't have a beta reader so any mistakes (grammatical or spelling) are my fault.  
  
  
  
  
  
The Dance  
  
  
  
1 Looking back, on the memory of  
  
The dance we shared, beneath the stars above  
  
For a moment, all the world was right  
  
How could I have known,  
  
That you'd ever say goodbye.  
  
And now, I'm glad I didn't know  
  
The way it all would end, the way it all would go  
  
Our lives, are better left to chance  
  
I could have missed the pain  
  
But I'd a had to miss  
  
The Dance  
  
Holding you, I held everything  
  
For a moment, wasn't I the King  
  
But if I'd only know, how the King would fall  
  
Hey it goes to say, you know I might have changed it all  
  
And now, I'm glad I didn't know  
  
The way it all would end, the way it all would go  
  
Our lives, our better left to chance  
  
I could have missed the pain, but I'd a had to miss  
  
The Dance  
  
  
  
  
  
Captain Kathryn Janeway walked slowly down the corridor. Her whole body felt numb. Various crewmembers passed her with odd, concerned looks on their faces. She ignored them. She ignored the "Good day Captain" and the "Hello Captain". She especially ignored the "Captain, are you okay". They would find out soon enough. Finally her goal appeared in front of her. She stood there staring at the door for what seemed like forever. The door to his quarters. Eventually she became aware of another presence. Turning she discovered an equally pale Be'lanna Torres. Without a word, the engineer reached over and keyed in a code. Together the two women entered the room. Torres sat down on the couch while Janeway stood in the middle of his living room. She stared at the room and his possessions. It suddenly hit her that he wasn't coming back. The thought overwhelmed her and she collapsed onto the carpet, sobbing. Be'lanna knelt beside the captain and held her as the two cried over their loss.  
  
After a while, Janeway began to speak. "I never told him. He never knew that I loved him too. He told me and showed me that he loved me, but I allowed my rank to keep me from what I wanted. And now I'll never get the chance, he's gone". "He knew Kathryn. I'm sure of it. He understood about your fears and the burden of command." Be'lanna whispered. The two women talked throughout the night about their experiences and memories of him. Eventually they fell asleep in his quarters.  
  
Two days later, most of the crew gathered in the cargo bay in order to say goodbye to their fallen crewman. He had requested, through a will, that his body be kept in stasis until they got home. He wanted his body to be buried on Earth. This proved to everyone that he believed that the captain would get the crew home. One by one, his friends stepped up to share their memories and thoughts with the rest of the crew. Finally Be'lanna indicated that she had something to say. Many people had tears in their eyes. They knew that the two had been close friends ever since their days together in the Maquis. She told the story of how they had met. She spoke of the numerous times he had saved her life, often putting himself in grave danger. She stated that it was not at all surprising to her that he would jump in front of someone he loved in order to protect them from a phaser blast. At this point, a gasp was heard and Janeway left. No one followed her. It was common knowledge that she felt extremely guilty that he had taken the blast that had been meant for her. It was also a well- known fact that the two had loved one another but she had not allowed their relationship to become something more.  
  
After the funeral and the reading of the will, Be'lanna went to Janeway's quarters. She beeped for entrance but did not receive an answer (not that she had really expected one). She quickly keyed in an override code and was rewarded with the door sliding open. As she walked in, she noticed that the lights were low. She looked for the captain and finally found her huddled in the corner of the room sobbing quietly. "Captain…" "Go away", was Janeway's broken answer. "I will in a few minutes. I wanted to give you this. He left it to you in his will." Kathryn stammered, "he, he left something for me?" "Yes, it looks like some kind of holographic projector". "Why would he leave me a projector?" Be'lanna quietly chuckled. "I don't know, but he was very specific that you have this as well as his medicine bag and his akoonah". Tears welled up in Kathryn's eyes. "Will you stay with me? You were his friend too". Janeway then turned the projector on. "Oh," she gasped. "I had not realized that he kept this". "What is it? I've never seen you wear that dress". "You wouldn't have, it was the dress I wore on New Earth". The two women stared at a projection of Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay slowly dancing in a circle. Slowly Be'lanna became aware of the song that was playing. As she listened, her eyes filled with tears. Janeway sat silently, as memories of their time together on New Earth flooded over her.  
  
2 Yes our lives, are better left to chance  
  
I could have missed the pain, but I'd a had to miss  
  
3 The Dance 


End file.
